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Case 111: South Zircon Conquest – Into the mist.

rustle—!

Hm... the ground is a bit mushy for some reason. Maybe it's because of the higher humidity?

''It amazes me, indeed, how the environment can change abruptly like this.''

Casting a glance behind him, where the snowfield's bleach white can still be seen amidst the bamboo, 049 lets out a comment.

''It's the power of fantasy. Don't mind it too much.'' I nonchalantly reply.

''Fantasy, you say...''

049's gaze turns to Mister Slen and Smiley walking alongside us briefly.

By this point, the boss of South Zircon should have noticed us already... though I suppose we have a more immediate problem on our hands.

The mist is too thick.

For me, who heavily relies on my vision in combat, having my field of view significantly reduced is quite troublesome. I'm sure my friends are fine with it, though.

''Do you have a way to dispel the fog, 049?'' I ask, just in case.

''Why not? Shall I?''

''Go ahead.''

''I will need to ask you to open a portal to our base, however. Section eight of my lab, specifically.''

''...?'' I tilt my head. ''Okay.''

According to 049's request, I open a portal above our head, connecting to his lab. The size... let's just make it big enough to consume the room itself.

''...''

It ends up being quite big... but it's probably fine.

''Come out.''

Heeding 049's command, I can indeed feel something trying to crawl out of the rift. Although I know he has been experimenting a lot during his free time, but what is this...

GRRRR—!

''??''

Unexpectedly, a colossal beast's head pokes out of the gate. It has pitch-black scales and blood-red eyes, accompanied by a few rows of slightly crooked teeth. Its overall appearance...

''Wait, the guardian dragon?''

More accurately, it appears to be its corpse being reanimated.

...As expected of the doc. I threw him the head, anticipating receiving some adorable abominations, but this... is not bad at all.

With a slightly proud atmosphere, 049 nods at my words.

''Blow it away.''

GRAHH—!!

''Oh.''

The beast roars loudly, clearing all the fog surrounding us before retreating to the Backrooms again.

Hugging Smiley's fluffy neck, I clap a few times to cheer the doc up. Even for a horror entity like him, constantly working must be hard.

''How strong is it, actually?'' I ask.

''Not much stronger than Miss Ariel, I'm afraid. It is resilient, though.''

''That's really good, frankly.''

I can vaguely sense its size as well. Somehow, the thing has generated a pretty huge body... well, I suppose 049 has.

''Hah... unfortunately, this isn't time for chatting, it seems.''

From virtually every direction, faint silhouettes of vengeful nature approach us.

Ghosts.

Some of them have their body parts torn apart; some have missing limbs, some have rope marks around their necks, and some seem ghastly as if bearing a fatal disease.

''Ki... kill...''

''Hatefulhatefulhatefulhateful!''

''It's unfair, mama... why me?''

Eventually, their mutterings surround us. Even now, I can feel every ounce of hatred they emit throughout my body. It's an unnerving feeling, as if disgusting insects are crawling on my skin.

If we were ordinary people, we wouldn't last long.

However, the [Status Condition Nullification] that I am borrowing from Nova is at a whopping level six, plus I am no stranger to creepy things, so this is nothing to me.

''Lingering souls... I have encountered a few in the foundation.''

AUF—!

Seeing the doc murmuring to himself calmly, Smiley barking, and Mister Slen seemingly unfazed, I sigh in relief.

Now, getting rid of these ghosts is next, but that requires a slightly unorthodox method. Realistically, I can't just beat up the ghosts because they don't possess a physical body.

Right. They don't possess a physical body.

So... they can't really do anything to us either.

''Let's keep moving.''

Plugging our ears, we swiftly continue on our venture, ignoring the baffled ghosts behind us. If I were, say, a necromancer, which is a person dealing with souls, I would have painstakingly resolved each of their life regrets and collected their souls for power, but I'm merely a girl.

I don't have the mental capacity to care about their struggles. The living is always prioritized over the dead.

After about half an hour of endless bamboo, I belatedly realize that the number of ghosts chasing us has increased by quite a few. They look like a horde of mangled zombies—transparent zombies.

''It's about time, hm.''

Obviously, I don't expect to simply skip all these mobs, either.

It's a bit sudden, but here is a question.

If someone dies, their system will disappear. Then, how do entities like Ariel, who is a banshee, and zombies, which are essentially corpses, have one?

Extensive research has been done in this field, and a definite answer still has not been found.

In reality, this world is a game world, so typical monsters like skeletons and zombies have a status screen because they are popular as fantasy monsters. The system is specifically assigned to those who have met the criteria.

Now, back to the present.

The game doesn't have the usual ghosts as monsters, but a higher form of ghosts is categorized.

'A cluster of vengeance.'

It is when an excessive amount of ghosts gather in one place... like now.

''...Tch.''

The screams are starting to get quite uncomfortable. Especially for me, whose ears are better than those of ordinary people, it feels like torture. Before long, I can see behind me the bodies of the ghosts have merged into one singular abomination, and they begin to gain something they shouldn't.

Mass.

Which also means they have stepped into the corporeal realm.

''Mister Slen, smack it down for me.''

With a slight nod, Mister Slen disappears. Instantly after, he manifests before the giant mess of body parts, flaring out his tentacles as he strikes forward fiercely.

Continuous explosion sounds echo through the forest as he bursts the opponent's body into shreds rapidly like a machine gun.

Well, considering the enemy is only at level thirty-three and has just been born...

It doesn't take long before the mess is cleaned up. Now, it is quiet again.

Without much thought, we continue on our journey. Accumulating ghosts, waiting for them to merge, and then exterminating them. This cycle repeats a few times before we finally encounter something different.

Gradually, I can feel my surroundings changing.

There is a thick... atmosphere. An almost tangible aura of death that only gets denser the more we advance. Not only that, the ghosts have been more aggressive as well.

''...''

It seems we have reached our destination.

In front of me stands a rather vast temple of sorts. Judging from the state of the main gate, it is safe to assume it has been here for a long time. However... the dreadful energy emitting from this place is unlike anything I've encountered before.

I can feel my heart racing.

Curious, I cast a glance at 049. How would he react to a place that reeks of 'death' like this?

''Hm...''

No agitation, no excitement. He only strokes his chin, deep in his thoughts.